A Demon of Ice [ T | P ]

[Axcel]

Yep, Axcel didn’t waste any time and was straight to the point--though he wasn’t sure if Jiro quite understood his methods. The kid was having problems with making the ice explode--which was essentially him being unable to find success at nature manipulation. The pulse of chakra that would force the creation to explode was merely nature manipulation--nothing more and nothing less. It was that and that alone. If the kid couldn’t make it explode then Axcel already knew where he was at fault. So, he asked Jiro to just focus on the explosion and when he nailed that he would be able to tackle the next hurdle.

As Jiro formed seals Axcel leaned back, placing his hands against the snow but behind him in order to hold himself up as he watched the lad cycle through a number of the twelve zodiac signs with but a single hand. It was good to see he was improving at casting the snow storm swallows technique--even his hand seal speed was beginning to increase! He was improving at fairly impressive speeds. If he were to keep up with this training at the pace he’s going at now, he could walk out of this little session with more than enough skills. He would be able to not only survive, but fight for whatever it was that Jiro believed in. From a helpless civilian to someone with the power to take his life into his own hands.

When the swallows began to circle Axcel, the shinobi paid them no attention until one of them broke from their circle and zoomed past Axcel and into his line of sight. When it did that, the lad’s amber eyes followed the projectile carefully. It was not but a few moments before Jiro’s chakra pulsed once more and forced the swallow to explode. This time the explosion was much better than before, but still lacking. He did improve, so whatever he tried now that was different from before was appearing to work. He just needed a few more attempts and it looked like he would nail it.

“The next swallow will have a proper explosion,” Axcel said with a distinct tone. The way he had said it wasn’t as if he was making a prediction of some sort--no, what he meant was that Jiro had better make one of those birds explode perfectly if he wanted to move on. “After that, focus on shape manipulation--they should explode into shards of ice capable skewering your targets” Maybe the word ‘skewer’ was a bit of an exaggeration, as the needles were too tiny to perform such a feat at Jiro’s level.

Still, maybe if the kid aimed higher he would land right where he’s supposed to.

[Jiro]

The next swallow will have a proper explosion? I thought, looking up curiously to Axcel. It was like a prediction, but it didn’t feel like one; didn’t come out like one. Was that his expectation? It seemed to me that it was him setting a sort of bar for me, a line I’d have to pass in order to move on. If I fell short, I’d fail, and I doubted he’d waste much more time on me. After all, what was he gaining out of this? Nothing obvious came to mind--he was simply helping me to help me. With a sigh, I glanced up to the six remaining ice swallows. I’d already decided that I wouldn’t fail, so the next swallow would explode. And the time after that would see me manipulating the shrapnel as I should.

One swallow swooped down away from the others. Only five remained, but the number didn’t matter, because this was my last chance to nail the explosion. I’d perfect the jutsu even before I ran out of birds. It spiraled down, twirling and twisting, before swooping up just before it hit the ground in a flourish. As its path arced upwards, I pushed my hyouton chakra forth; the chakra of my blood. A bloodline I felt I had no link to, but was inescapably bound too. A blood that I relied on. Shaking the thoughts from my head, I refused to allow myself to think up any distractions. Instead, I turned my irritation at the thought into passion--into power, and balled the chakra up. It was condensed at the center of the bird, and then I allowed it to burst outward using its pent up force. A shattering rung through the air, cracking it like a whip, and the bird was no more. It exploded with a force that I’d been unable to conjure up until then, and I grinned knowing that I’d passed the first line. Although it had exploded into many large pieces that were, in the end, harmless, the force with which it had done so was more than enough to power dangerous shards of ice. At least, once I’d gotten that part down.

Four swallows continued to fly in high arcs as one more broke free. It was the last one; the one I’d use to perfect this technique, and move on. It was that, or I would never move on. This time, I knew how to spread my chakra through the creation, but needed to focus on the ice itself. I wasn’t simply forcing it to explode, but was manipulating the way in which it exploded in order to create a more dangerous trap. Again my chakra filled the bird, condensed, and burst forth in a single instant. This time, I focused my energies on the ice itself, fracturing it and splitting it as it exploded. The result was a devastating barrage of sharp ice shards, soaring in every direction from where the bird had been just a few meters out in front of me.

There it was! An insanely useful technique, and I’d performed it what seemed, to me, to be perfectly. At least, for my level. Something told me Axcel’s version of the technique would somehow be better--stronger, faster, larger. But I wasn’t expected to reach his level n a single day, I doubted, and thus was rather satisfied with my performance. In a devastating flourish, the remaining four swallows swooped together in front of me, each exploding in a single instant. They released a barrage of ice shards, just as before, that would easily pierce my enemies--draw the red from them like a fountain.

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[DAVID BOWE]

Jiro -- Learned
Axcel -- +60

[Axcel]

It was exactly as it sounded--if Jiro was unable to make the next snow storm swallow explode properly just as it should, then Axcel would have dismissed him as someone who was incapable to make use of his kekkei genkai. Fortunately, such was not the case. When Jiro had one of the birds break away from it’s ‘pact’, Axcel’s eyes followed it’s every movement, awaiting the inevitable explosion. With but a simple pulse of the boy’s chakra, it exploded. It was still lacking a bit, but it was more than enough to move onto the next step--creating the shards of ice.

Now, Axcel had just mentioned he expected the kid’s ice to explode into shards capable of skewering a target but he hardly expected him to perform the jutsu to that extent. Even if Axcel were to the use the explosive ice barrage, it was unlikely that a single shard would be capable of doing enough damage that it could actually skewer an opponent. The damage was definitely devastating given that the ice creation being detonated was large enough, but it was because of the amount of shards formed. However, Axcel would just have to wait and see what Jiro was capable of when he tried to execute the full technique.

Another bird broke out of the circle that flew together in high arcs. This time Axcel was expecting the jutsu to be done flawlessly. He had already seen an explosion earlier that was more than capable of being the catalyst that sends ice shards out--now it was time to see how Jiro would make use of shape manipulation in order to have the bird explode into the shards required for the explosive ice barrage technique. A few moments would pass before the boy exerted his hyouton chakra, causing the bird to explode. Much to Axcel’s surprise, a flurry of ice shards would spew outwards in every direction in the explosion’s wake. The jutsu was complete.

“Well done!” Axcel clapped slowly and softly as his thoughts began to drift. Now all he needed to figure out was what to do next. He had a bit of an offensive arsenal, and he should not have to worry about incoming attacks too much, so all that was left was some sort of utility based technique. Axcel immediately thought of the water prison technique. It was a great technique, given that someone was able to even pull it off. It encases a person, effectively trapping them until the user decided they could go free--or the user could keep them there until they drowned. Jiro should have potential to wield Suiton, but was he aware of that? Axcel would need to figure that much out first.

“Try to create an orb of water roughly the size of a person.” Axcel’s words lacked a clear direction. He didn’t explain the purpose, the use, or even if what Jiro was to be doing was a technique at all. That would all come later.

[Jiro]

The remnants of my swallows laid strewn about the snow. They were barely visible, dangerously sharp shards of ice, protruding up from the white with a crystalline grace. Only the light reflecting off of their glistening forms paid a testament to their existence. It was a good feeling--the feeling of knowing I was improving, and although I didn’t care to admit I’d relied on him, it was almost all thanks to Axcel. My repertoire of techniques; my knowledge, and my prowess over my blood-given abilities had expanded immensely since my tutelage under the older male.

And thus, we were moving on already. Recently, we’d been focusing on something I was rather familiar with--that is, the formation and utilization of hyouton-styled chakra. Ice, in its purest form; frozen, solidified water. Sharp, cold, and devastating. Now we were taking a sharp turn, one that was both welcome and perhaps a bit intimidating. I was aware of Axcel’s seemingly strict expectations, and felt that should I fail to meet them, this would end abruptly. Either way, though, I had no intention of losing this chance.

Water, a free-flowing existence, versatile but powerful all the same. Its uses were immense, and quite different from that of what I was used to regarding my prowess in hyouton. We were beginning simply, so simple, in fact, that I wasn’t aware that it was a technique at all. My only directions were to form an orb of water, under a vague size requirement and nothing more. I wasn’t used to conjuring up water, though it was, in theory, simpler than ice. I’d simply stop the process a step earlier.

So I focused my chakra into the air before me. It overwhelmed it, flowing through the moisture until it could gather it all together and condense it in a single moment. The result was a flood of water, appearing seemingly out of nowhere in the air before me. Unfortunately, it lacked shape or form, and simply fell from eye-level over the ground at my feet. With a scowl, and before Axcel could say anything, I tried again. The moisture condensed and solidified, forming liquid water. This time, though, it remained within the air, an irregular, flowing orb of water roughly my own size.

Never before had I attempted to do something quite like this. It was foreign to me, but somehow felt familiar. Not in a way I’d have expected, either--more like I should have been doing it all my life, and could have, but didn’t out of ignorance. Like I could have had this power long ago.

SPOILER: Click to show

0/50

Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique)
Rank: C
Type: Offensive / Suiton Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Special: The user must keep their body touching the water prison to maintain its existence. If the contact is broken, the water falls away and their target is released. While in prison, victims cannot perform handseals. Requires a water source.
Description: Suirou no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique that utilizes water to imprison an opponent. After the shinobi forms the necessary hand seals, the water around the victim comes together in order to form a spherical prison which only allows for limited movement. When combined with a bunshin technique, the ninja can imprison their target but still allow for a clone to attack others nearby, or even have the bunshin be the one’s holding the target hostage.
Domain: Suiton.

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[Axcel]

Ah, this kid really did lack talent! Axcel had half expected him to succeed at forming an orb of water, even if it was incapable of performing the role that Suirou no Jutsu was to perform. Unfortunately though it seemed Axcel was being a bit optimistic, as all that had occurred was that the boy ended up summoning a large amount of shapeless water that could not shape itself into an orb. Just as the shinobi moved to speak, Jiro began to make a second attempt, demonstrating a willingness to learn on his part. It was a good sign.

Despite the kid lacking in raw talent, at least he had the tenacity to continue working at something even after having failed. Axcel waited atop of the ledge he had sat himself upon ages ago, his amber eyes watching the kid as he made another attempt at creating an orb of water. This time it looked like he actually pulled it off--though it was still lacking. Regardless, now that he had managed to figure out how to manipulate the shape of the water, they could move onto next step. However, before that. . .

“You really have no talent, you know that right?” Axcel grinned a bit as he mocked his ‘trainee’. He thought about whether or not he should bother explaining the technique in detail to Jiro, as it was likely it would just fly over his head. Instead, he opted for a bit of a demo. “Perhaps you would benefit more from a demonstration of this technique,” He said as he stood up atop of the ledge he had been standing on. Taking a step forward, Axcel would hop down onto the snowy ground causing a flurry of snow fly into the air upon impact. At this point, he was roughly ten meters from Jiro.

Axcel moved to approach Jiro, stopping roughly a meter and a half away from him before stopping. Following that, Axcel brought both of his hands together and formed a set of handseals, his digits shifting through the zodiac symbols rapidly. As his chakra surged through his person and his final seal came to a closure, Axcel’s chakra pulsed for a moment before a orb of water enveloped Jiro. The water would encase him completely, being so dense that the boy couldn’t even move a muscle. Axcel’s arm remained inside the orb, as it was required in order for the prison to remain in tact.

Hopefully Jiro would be able to hold his breathe for rough six seconds, because Axcel had no intention of releasing the prison until then--which is how long Axcel figured it would take for the kid to figure out the purpose and mechanics behind the technique

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[Jiro]

Ah, there it was. Axcel taunted me yet again, and a pang of irrational irritation scratched at the back of my mind. Dismissing it with a shake of my head, I looked on curiously as he left his place atop the nearby boulder for the first time since we’d started. I’d done properly to expect a demonstration of some sort, and assumed I’d be forming the orb of water into more complex shapes or something similar. Instead, I was surprised by something quite different.

The clear-blue liquid formed from the air itself. I’d watched intently as Axcel flashed through the seals, memorizing them in that instant. Still, I hadn’t expected to be the target of the technique, despite his facing me as he performed the seals. Suddenly I was enveloped in water--something I first noticed through touch. My clothes were instantly soaked, sticking to my skin, feeling heavy. My breath was taken from me in an instant, and I gulped down a mouthful of water in my subconscious attempt to breathe. Silent coughs escaped my lungs, though I soon recovered myself and began to look intently at my prison. At first, anger flashed across my features, filling them and myself. It was an ephemeral emotion, however, and was soon overtaken by my determination to discover the secrets of the technique. It was obvious, now, the purpose of what Axcel had instructed me to do; and I now realized how useful a tool this technique was.

My muscles refused to move, despite my attempts to command them, so I could do nothing but sustain myself upon what little breath I had. Another thing I noticed was Axcel’s hand--it was held up, kept in contact with the orb of water, which I assumed was a necessary task in order to sustain the orb’s existence. From that, I gathered that I would simply create an orb of water, and condense it so that it was extremely dense with the power of my chakra. This would require my continued physical contact.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem Axcel was letting up on the technique. I couldn't move, and my breath was slowly fading. Had I known this was going to happen, I would have been able to prepare myself by taking in a large breathe--but that was much of the technique's power in a real situation. So my breathe was dwindling, and I felt a desperation in my lungs as I starved for air that wouldn't come. All I could do was focus on learning what Axcel was attempting to teach me, and holding out until he released me. After all, I couldn't even warn him if I were running out of air; the only thing I could really move was my eyes, and I certainly couldn't speak. Only muffled grunts and gasps could escape my lips, though they wouldn't unless I truly felt endangered.

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[Axcel]

The orb of water would rapidly encase Jiro, forcing him to remain inside a bubble of water until Axcel decided it was time to leave. That wouldn’t happen quite so fast, however, as Axcel had intended on keeping him in the shell of water until he felt that Jiro would be able to learn the mechanics behind Suirou no Jutsu. It was important that he figured out everything regarding the technique. There were three things Axcel hoped the lad would pick up on regarding Suirou no Jutsu: Its purpose, its strengths, and its weaknesses. If he were to figure this out in the short time he was kept inside the water capsule, then his progress would jump leaps and bounds when it came to this technique.

Its purpose, which was to catch and imprison targeted foes inside the dense water bubble. Its subtle strengths, which was a water so dense that the victim could not even move a muscle if they wished to escape--which essentially meant that he was unable to perform handseals if he wished to use a technique from inside the bubble in order to aid his escape. Laslty, Jiro would need to figure out its weakness! Indeed, a technique such as this did have weaknesses--just what is it exactly?

It’s the fact that Axcel must keep a hand in contact with the water prison in order to keep it in tact. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for the lad to deduct that, in doing so, it would require a chakra upkeep every few moments. Although Axcel was capable of performing a version of this technique which evaded this drawback, Jiro was a long way off before even attempting that something as advanced as that.

It wasn’t until ten--no, thirteen seconds after Axcel had casted the technique that he would dispel it, releasing Jiro from the inescapable prison formed by something as natural as water. It was a powerful technique if executed properly, and one could even hold a victim in it until they drowned, making it fatal as well. The shinobi’s ‘trainee’ would likely fall to the ground upon suddenly being released from the water prison without warning, and when he did, Axcel would immediately bark further instructions, his tone remaining just as stoic as before.

“Now, you try it. Create a bunshin and then form the necessary hand seals,” Axcel said as he stepped backwards until his back pressed against a wall so he could lean against it. “Don’t even try doing a Suiton technique’s hand seals with just a single hand--you’ll never be able to accomplish such a feat at your current level.” His voice was nothing short of certain when he uttered those last words. No matter the amount of repetition Jiro would throw at the technique, if he tried to form the hand seals with one hand then he was going to fall flat on his face every time.

[Jiro]

Finally, the liquid prison that surrounded me was released. I fell to the ground, onto my knees, coughing up a small puddle of water that had filled my lungs when I was first trapped. Though the watery prison had been dispelled, much of the water remained; my clothes were soaked, stuck to my skin and heavy. My hair was matted down to my head, wet and glistening, and I shook my head wildly, sending drops of water in every direction. Standing fully, I looked toward Axcel as he explained how I should proceed in practicing the jutsu. A warning followed--one that was quite necessary--one that deterred me from performing the technique with a single hand. Frankly, I would have, had he not specified. Part of me wanted to, anyways, out of pride. But I’d only be attempting to prove I could do something that I couldn’t.

So I followed his instructions, first flashing through a set of hand seals with one hand and birthing an exact replica of myself made out of ice. For a moment I wondered how Axcel knew I could perform the Yuki Bunshin no Oni, then remembered that he’d seen me perform it when he’d first met me. It received no mental command from me, aside to simply wait as I performed a new technique. Flashing through the hand seals I’d seen Axcel perform--using both hands, notably--I channeled my chakra through my body. It was all focused in the palm of my hand as I reached out, and then released it into the air. Using my blood-given abilities, I began to manipulate the moisture in the air and the water that filled my clothes and stuck to my skin. It all lifted from my body, and the moisture began to condense until it was in liquid form, and in a moment there was a large orb of water surrounding my clone.

Focusing, I attempted to recall all the things I’d noted from Axcel’s demonstration. First, I had to create water, and manipulate it thereafter to form an orb prison around my target. That step was done. Throughout the technique, I had to keep my body in contact with the prison, likely to supply it with small pulses of chakra in order to keep it stable. Lastly, the orb had to serve its purpose as a prison, something it couldn’t do as a simple water orb. I had to condense the water so much, until those trapped within couldn’t move. This was what required my constant contact, in order to supply the chakra needed to keep the orb that pressurized.

After every step was taken care of, I ordered my clone to escape. It was obvious it was struggling to do so--it squirmed, though its face was one of apathy--and I grinned knowing that I had succeeded. At least, thus far. Now I had to be able to maintain the prison until I wished it gone, so I’d simply sit there for many seconds, testing my control over the technique. Never once did it falter, and never once could my clone escape. After a while, I would look to Axcel for his approval, though I wouldn’t remove my hand or the chakra I was supplying to the technique from the orb.

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[DAVID BOWE]

Jiro == Learned
Axcel == +59 trolololol

[Axcel]

Now all that was left for Axcel to do was remain in place and watch Jiro make an attempt at Suirou no Jutus. He had tried to make use of Suiton--and although it was a failed attempt, the fact that he was able to summon water from the moisture in the snow after having never attempted such a thing in his life was a feat in itself. Though Axcel repeatedly told himself that Jiro lacked any talent at all, the reality was that he did indeed have some talent. Axcel, who doesn’t see himself any different than another shinobi of his level in terms of skill, was revered as a a genius in his respective arts--being considered a genius of not just his generation but the past several as well.

Axcel pressed his back against the wall and crossed his arms ashe waited for Jiro to follow his instructions. Jiro, with a single hand as usual, would flash through a string of hand seals--clearly making an attempt at a Hyouton based jutsu. Naturally, Axcel assumed it to be Yuki Bunshin no Oni--a bunshin technique unique to those who carry the Yukina Kekkei Genkai within their blood. Just as he suspected, a single replica of Jiro would form from just ice, already having assumed the appearance of the boy. Now that the bunshin was created, Jiro would need to perform the Suirou no Jutsu on the faux being. The only question remained was if he could even do it.

The shinobi watched as Jiro clasped his hands against one another, beginning yet another set of hand seals by making use of both his hands opposed to one. It was good to see the kid actually listened to him. And here Axcel thought he had him pinned as a irrational, rebellious kid who disobeyed for the sake of rebelling against orders. Well, maybe Axcel hadn’t thought him to be like that, but regardless--the point here was that it was good the kid listened to him. In a matter of moments, water would seep from the snow and form around the bunshin, surrounding and encasing the clone. Imprisoning it. It appeared to be a grand success, at least from Axcel’s perspective. It could probably be improved on, but for only attempting the technique once, it was good enough to move onto something new. He could teach himself Suiton techniques later using those same principles.

“Hm. . .” Axcel acknowledged Jiro’s attempt with a mere nod, signaling that he could dispel the jutsu and free his bunshin from captivity whenever he felt like doing so. What was next? The Glacier Knight was puzzled for but a moment before concluding that Fuuton was the next power that Jiro would need to learn to make use of. “Fuuton is something you should be capable of harnessing as well,” He said aloud without moving from his position. “Summon wind! Whether it’s a strong gust of wind or even a hurricane doesn’t matter, so long as it’s cause for existing is you.” With that being said, he would leave his ‘trainee’ to work.

[Jiro]

Axcel gave his approval in the form of a simple nod. With my own nod, I turned back to the orb and pulled my hand from the water, causing it to collapse and free the clone it had kept captive. The clone fell to its back, but soon sprung to its feet, totally unfazed from having been submerged. Surprisingly, Axcel decided I was already ready to move on! The next thing we were working on--wind, according to Axcel--surprised me quite a bit. Since I wasn’t a shinobi, nor had I gone through the academy to become one, I wasn’t aware of the relations between the elements. The ability to control water was expected, as it was only another form of ice, with which I excelled. Wind, however, was different entirely, so I was quite surprised that Axcel had said it would be within my abilities to control and harness it.

”Ah--alright,” I said, a bit uncertain. Water was much easier, as I simply created it the same way I did ice, only I stopped prematurely. Sure, it was entirely different to control and shape due to its liquid nature, but that was far from what I struggled with when it came to wind. Instead, I simply didn’t know how to bring it under my control at all. Many different thoughts swam through my head, though I realized I wouldn’t know anything until I actually attempted to perform the feat. So I summoned up my chakra, allowing it to course through the entirety of my body before it was released into the air before me. I thought of it a bit like I thought of things when I began to make water or ice--that is, I attempted to condense the moisture within the air. This was my starting point. At first, I targeted the air with my chakra, and slowly broadened the target of my control until it was everything in the air before me.

With my chakra laced through the air, I was ready to control it. All I had to do was summon it up, and move it. It already had a (metaphorically) solid presence, what would give Axcel the clue that I’d succeeded was causing it to move. So with a bit of concentration, I attempted to move my chakra, and hopefully the air with it. At first, it didn’t work--my chakra moved through the air, but I couldn’t pull the wind with it. I couldn’t create the wind with it.

Unsure of how to proceed, I backtracked a bit, once again lacing my chakra through the moisture instead of the air itself. This way, I had better control over it; after all, I was far more used to controlling only the moisture in the air. The next time I attempted to move it, I succeeded--it was an odd feeling. The air itself didn’t move, only the moisture, and I felt a wave of humidity come over me. Shaking my head and waving my hands a bit, I decided to try it again, now that I’d had a feel for it. Thus, I expanded my chakra out, enveloping the air, and commanded it to move. In that instant, a breeze drifted by, but I narrowed my eyes and was determined to create more than a simple breeze. After a moment, the breeze suddenly went mad, and a gust came forth, blowing snow, bits of ice, and small rocks everywhere. Unfortunately, it died down just as fast as it had come.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kamaitachi (Cutting Whirlwind)
Rank: C
Type: Offensive / Fuuton Ninjutsu
Range: 10+ meters
Special: Size of tunnel opening measures 5 meters, and wind blasts can travel 10 meters; each time relearned, the mouth grows by 5 meters and the blast itself travels an extra 10 meters..
Description: This jutsu was brought to fame by a legendary Suna shinobi from long ago, and was named after a mythical creature able to command the winds on a whim. After channeling wind chakra at either their weapon or limb, the user swings it around and brings forth a most intense tornado, coming out from the weapon/arm. Once it strikes the user, the tornado tips upward and takes the user up, keeping them imprisoned by the strong currents, and delivering multiple waves of cutting/slicing damage onto their bodies, as well as dropping them hard onto the ground afterward.
Domain: Fuuton.

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[Axcel]

Hm. . . Axcel watched carefully upon giving the kid some basic instructions. Well--they were hardly instructions in hindsight. They were more like orders. Of course the instructions would follow suit after he watched the kid make some sort of failed attempt at summoning a bit of a wind. It wouldn’t take long now for Jiro to ready up and try and come up with some sort of creative method in order to fulfill the task given to him by Axcel, which was to harness his ability to utilize Fuuton. It was a necessary skill if he wanted to learn the technique Axcel intended on teaching.

Watching the lad, it looked like he had used the moisture in the air in order to aid him. This was technically incorrect, and Axcel didn’t see the need initially and felt he should have skipped over that method and go straight to funneling wind. However, the lad realized it was alright, as someone without any formal shinobi training. Axcel merely nodded, acknowledging the fact that Jiro was indeed able to harness wind, although he needed much more work at it. For now it was fine though, as the technique he was learning required no hand seals and thus less chakra molding.

“The ability to use Suiton and Fuuton are natural to a Yukina,” He said, lecturing out of the blue about the Kekkai Genkai that coursed through the veins of Jiro and Axcel alike. “They are the fundamental releases that make up Hyouton--if you’re unable to understand either of them then your progress with Hyouton based techniques will eventually bottleneck.” His mini-lecture went on, the lad clearly trying to explain why he was having him learn at least one suiton technique and one fuuton technique. It was important that he understood--simply following his instructions without ever figuring out the meaning behind them would be meaningless.

“Now, for the next part of your Fuuton training,” He began, his words beginning to trail off as he was unsure himself of how to move forward from here. He had relied on moisture in order to command wind earlier, so he wasn’t sure if he could tackle the technique Axcel intended on teaching quite yet, so perhaps more practice. Not just any practice though, but he would manipulate the shape of the wind in order to bend to his will and try his hand at something that seemed impossible in theory.

“I want you to create a tornado!”

[Jiro]

Axcel had been observing, as always, and I looked to him for further instructions. I had successfully conjured up some wind, though I knew it wasn’t the best attempt, I’d hoped he’d give me some sort of clue as to how to make it easier. What he said, instead, was about Yukina--the blood line that both Axcel and I possessed, which allowed us advanced control over ice. What I didn’t know, and what Axcel began to inform me of, was that ice--by the way of chakra, at least--was compromised of both water and wind. That explained why he had me learn the water prison, and now why he was teaching me how to control the wind.

With a nod to show him that I understood, I thought back to what I had done with the water prison. If I thought of water and wind as compromising ice, rather than separate, I figured I would probably make some progress. Although it was only a way of thinking, it effected how I used my own chakra. Determined not to fail, I awaited his following instructions eagerly.

Unfortunately, they were little more than commands. It was like Axcel, though, to simply tell me to do something rather than show me how. Learning through failure, I supposed, though I got the feeling that he wouldn’t tolerate my failing very much. With a shrug, I sighed and turned away from my instructor. Conjure up a tornado? I could barely make a normal breeze, I thought, mentally simulating what I had done before. Since I was performing this with no hand seals, it meant that molding the chakra wasn’t as important. I was using it in its most raw form in order to manipulate the elements in their most raw form. So once again I pushed my chakra through my body, but this time I chose to focus it in a single area. Before I had simply unleashed the chakra that filled my body without thought--now I would allow my chakra to flow through my body, building up all in my hand. Then, instead of simply standing there and concentrating, I would direct the wind using my body as a sort of chakra catalyst.

So as I felt I’d built up my chakra well enough, I held my hand out and unleashed it all at once. It intertwined with the air, laced itself within it, and I slowly moved my hand to the left. As I did, the air before me whipped that way, blowing chunks of ice and powdery snow toward Axcel. Tilting my head, I swiped my hand to the right, directing my chakra with it, and the wind followed suite, this time in the opposite direction. Then, with deep concentration, I twisted my hand and balled my fist, creating a vortex of spinning wind. It only spun twice around before dissipating back into the air, however.

Shit, I thought, before repeating the process. Chakra filled my hand, and I directed the wind using it as a director. Again, I twisted my hand and balled my fist, this time jerking my arm with it, and concentrated on the chakra flow. It burst forth from my arm, ripping the wind from its utter stillness and sending it it into a whirling frenzy. My clothes flailed in the wind, and the snow directly around the spinning mass was whipped up with it. In the end, ice and snow intermingled with the tornado, creating a spinning, white whirlwind.

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[Axcel]

What Axcel had requested of the boy was indeed a bit far-fetched. A tornado? How could Jiro, who, while capable, was currently unable to perform any Fuuton techniques summon a tornado? It simply was not feasible to expect the kid to pull it off. So, being fully aware of this, why did Axcel ask for such a thing from Jiro? One would probably think he just wanted to watch the kid fail for his own amusement--something that would not pass as unexpected to people who knew Axcel personally. However, Axcel did have his reasons for doing things this way.

Kamaitachi, commonly known as Cutting Whirlwind, was the technique that Axcel intended on teaching Jiro. Unlike most ninjutsu, especially those categorized under an elemental release, this specific technique required no handseals. Absolutely none. It was performed using either a limb or a weapon as a medium, with a simple swing being all it took to execute the jutsu. That little tidbit in itself was what made the technique so grand. There would be no time wasted on hand seals, and it could be easily used even if your hands were unavailable to you.

Just what did the technique consist of? It was essentially a tornado. Obviously it wasn’t as massive in scale as a real, natural born tornado would be. No, at it’s most basic level the funnel’s opening only had a diameter of five meters and the technique itself only traveled a mere ten meters before dispersing into wind. However, those unfortunate enough to be caught in it will find themselves thrown into the skies being cut several times by the razor sharp winds--hence the name of the techinque. Those who get knocked up in the air tend to be at the mercy of any follow up techniques the caster may have in store for the victim.

“Ah, I guess I’ll demonstrate for you since you lack the ability to do it on your own!” Axcel mocked, his tone of voice light-hearted in nature but it was obvious that he felt there was some truth to his words. Adjusting his posture so that he was no longer leaning on the wall behind him, Axcel pulled his arm back and swung it horizontally, slicing the air as if his hand were a katana. Immediately, a miniature tornado would form in front of him, traveling towards Jiro’s Yuki Oni no Bunshin.

The whirlwind would lift the bunshin into the air, cutting away at it until the technique seemed to fade into nothing. When the bunshin fell to the snowy ground it would stand once more, being able to survive the assault due to Jiro’s chakra reinforced ice being refined enough. Despite that, the copy still had several parts of his icy body cleaved into, the cuts being so deep that it would likely be fatal had it hit something made of flesh.

“Now you try,” Axcel said with a grin, pressing his back against the wall once more.